HALO Research Scientist Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput co-authored a paper titled “Weight Gain and Mental Health in the Canadian Prison Population” that was recently published in the Journal of Correctional Health Care. The authors found that excessive weight gain seen during incarceration in Canadian federal penitentiaries is not related to the higher prevalence of mental illness or psychotropic medication use. Citation details and the abstract of the paper are below.
Congratulations, JP and team!
Johnson, C., Chaput, J.-P., Blanchard, A., & Dubois, L. (2021). Weight Gain and Mental Health in the Canadian Prison Population. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 27(1), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1089/jchc.19.04.0039
Abstract
Most inmates gain excessive bodyweight during incarceration in Canadian federal penitentiaries. It is currently unknown if the weight gain is related to participants’ higher prevalence of mental illness and/or psychotropic medication use. This study examined how weight change (kg) and body mass index (BMI) change (kg/m2) of 1,420 participants were associated with mental health status and psychotropic medication use. Participants who took psychotropic medications did not gain more weight during incarceration compared to their counterparts who were not taking psychotropic medications (6.5 kg vs. 6.0 kg, p = 0.87, respectively). However, participants taking psychotropic medications were more likely to be overweight or obese, which means they already had higher BMI at the beginning of their incarceration as opposed to gaining more weight during incarceration. Weight gain of participants observed during incarceration in Canadian federal penitentiaries was not related to the higher prevalence of mental illness or psychotropic medication use.
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